


Like a Band-Aid

by CaptnSlash



Category: Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: M/M, Running from Feelings, Unrequited Crush, confusion about feelings, cuteness overdose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-05 18:05:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5385371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptnSlash/pseuds/CaptnSlash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riley has a crush on Chase. He tries to figure out his feelings and has to decide whether or not to come clean when Shelby and Chase notice that something is going on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like a Band-Aid

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first post in the fandom. I wrote this in about an hour and it hasn't been edited. This came about after watching the first 8 episodes on Netflix.

Riley often stared at Chase as he worked the grill, or cleaned the counter, or swept the floor. There's nothing odd about it really, just a level of curiosity that frequently gets the better of him. He still can't believe how wrong he had been about Chase; the way he had doubted his priorities was extremely out of character. 

That was behind them now, however. They were friends, each appreciating the other for their differences even more than the similarities they shared. The new issue was that Riley couldn't understand what it was about Chase that had him so infatuated. It almost seemed to border on obsession and that, too, had never been something Riley had dealt with before. 

Now, he was just confused. He tried to hide the glances he made throughout the day and he even purposefully requested a special project in the lab to separate the two of them, but it was like a universal force was always reuniting them before too long. Riley didn't understand what any of it meant but he did understand his attraction for Chase. That at least made sense.

No one would have been able to blame him either. Hell, half of the city's population would be doing the exact same thing if they were around the guy, he figured, and at least he could say his attraction was more than just physical looks. The issue was that Chase seemed to flirt back occasionally, but his intentions were never clear. Riley didn't know if he was just being overly friendly or if his flirting was some kind of game. The fact that it made him want Chase even more was clear proof of his masochist nature.

"Riley, are you even listening to me?"

Riley turned and stared, heat rising in his checks. "What?"

Shelby folded her arms over her chest and shifted her weight. "What is going on with you, Riley? You've been out of it for days now."

"That's not very accurate..."

"No? You overcharged four customers yesterday. Look, I think I know what's going on."

"You do?" He asked. He felt exposed and came close to giving in to the urge that told him to run and hide.

"It's a girl, right?"

"No. Why would you think that?"

She relaxed as the realization that she was wrong set in. She put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I've just seen how Chase gets when he likes a girl and..."

Now he was annoyed, like someone had flipped a switch. He had gone from nervous and anxious over his crush being discovered to actually being offended by being compared to the very guy that he was crushing over. Running and hiding seemed like an even better option now. "I have to get to the lab. Sorry."

He felt her eyes on the back of his head until he turned a corner and headed outside. The fresh air felt good despite the humidity and he was thankful for the quiet. He knew that Shelby was right even if he didn't fully want to admit to it. His crush on Chase was interfering with his work and he knew that he needed to get it under control.

He was scared that it would interfere with his duties as a Power Ranger too. There had been a couple of close calls and losing Chase would have sent him over the edge. He didn't know where these feelings came from. He had never been attracted to any guys before and this was so different from how he expected to feel about his best friend.

"There you are, mate."

Chase walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder before taking a seat on the crate across from him.

He felt his heartbeat increase as soon as their eyes met and he looked away in the hope of keeping his secret intact. He hoped he could bury it for a while, at least until his mind recognized that what he wanted would never happen. "You found me," he said.

"Shelby told me to come find you and check on you. It's about some girl, right? Well, you may not have noticed, but I understand girls. You have questions and I have all the right answers, my friend."

"This isn't about a girl. I'm fine, Chase. There's no need to be concerned."

"Yeah, I'm not buying it. The second part, about not needing to be concerned, I mean. I know this really isn't about a girl."

"You do?"

"Yeah, now I do. You're homesick, right? I've been there."

Riley shook his head. "It isn't about that either. I have a crush on someone and they don't feel the same way."

"I thought you said it wasn't about a girl."

"It's not important. I'm gonna go see if Kendall needs help with anything in the lab. I'll see you later."

"No, don't go. I can clearly see that something is wrong, mate. Let me help."

Riley met his eyes. There was valid concern there, something one friend would show another friend in a situation like this. "I just don't understand how I could fall for someone knowing they won't feel the same way."

"Have you tried talking to them?"

"I can't. It could mess things up and things would get awkward."

"How do you know if you don't try?"

He sighed. "You wouldn't feel that way if you knew the whole story. You'd think I'm being an idiot and you would be right."

"So, tell me. You're my friend and I want to help you, Riley."

He felt the level of panic rising again and he began thinking of ways to escape. He could think of a handful of different excuses but none of them were time sensitive enough to demand his immediate removal from their conversation. He trusted Chase. That was the ironic part in all of this, because he would have easily been able to discuss this with Chase if he wasn't the subject of the crush in question.

"Look, you're my friend and I'm worried about you. I can sit here and we can not talk but that won't make you feel better. I can see you're about to pike out and then you'll just be by yourself in the exact same situation and I won't be able to help ya."

"Are you sure you want to know? You have to be sure," Riley said.

"Just spit it out."

"It's you."

"Huh?"

Riley looked away from him, staring at a couple of empty crates and a trash dumpster because he couldn't stand seeing Chase grossed out as he came clean with his feelings. "I told you this isn't about a girl and I was telling the truth. You're the one I have a crush on, Chase."

"Oh. Wow."

"Yeah. Now you understand why I didn't want to tell you. I know you don't feel the same way about me and I'm just trying to find my way out of this situation with as much decency left as possible"

"Do you think I'm afraid to be around you now?"

"You can honestly tell me that this doesn't change things?"

"Sure it does. But you're my friend and there's nothing you can tell me that will change that. Do you think I haven't been hit on by guys before? I mean, look at me."

Riley laughed. "Did you let them down easy?"

"For the most part."

"That's good of you. Well, we should get it over with, I guess. Maybe it will even make things easier."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's best to just rip off the Band-Aid, Chase."

Chase stood up and he walked over to Riley. Their eyes met and Chase's smile took Riley by surprise. He started to ask what was going on when the kiwi put his hands on Riley's neck and leaned in, pushing their lips together. It was a simple kiss and it only lasted a few seconds. Riley took a couple of steps back and stared as he tried to remember how to make words come out of his mouth.

"What was that?"

"You said you wanted to get it over with."

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought you were talking about our first kiss."

Riley sat down as he became lightheaded. "Why would you think that? I was talking about you letting me down easy like the other guys that had crushes on you."

Chase sat next to him. "I'd rather kiss you," he admitted. "I turned three of the guys down because they weren't my type but I did date one of them for almost three months in high school."

"But you like girls."

That made Chase laugh. "So, I like guys too. I like you, Riley."

"Really?"

"Yes. That was what the kissing was about if you're still confused."

"I really am."

"I can tell. I was waiting for you to tell me how you felt before I made a move. I didn't want to freak you out."

"You're a really good kisser."

"You're not so bad yourself."

"So, how about we cut to the Chase and go for the second kiss?"

Chase was smirking now. "Did you really just steal my line?"

"I think I did, hotshot."

"I like it better when you say it," he admitted.

There were many more kisses for years to come.


End file.
